News: Shops to Sue DBKL for Flood Damages After Drainage Project Left Unfinished

Nov 28, 2018

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is expected to face lawsuits from some owners of shops and business establishments in Jalan Bangsar, reported The Star.

This is because the would-be plaintiffs suffered property damages and loss of revenue due to city hall’s failure to complete a RM2.4 million drainage project in the vicinity close Bangsar LRT station on time.

The business owners said the flood mitigation project was supposed to be completed in June or September 2018. Had it been completed on time, the flash flood in early November wouldn’t have happened.

Michael Simon, who runs an office along Jalan Bangsar, cited Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad, who said that Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad promised to impose penalties against contractors who neglected to clear their drainage clear of obstruction like trash and debris following the recent flood.

“I read that he said action would be taken to ensure this (flooding) doesn’t happen again. In this case, DBKL is the culprit because it is their project which was delayed several times and resulted in flash floods several times this year.”

Simon also pointed out that the contractors building the flood mitigation project in Jalan Bangsar has not only left the project unfinished, but also failed to maintain and take care of the work site after work stopped.

An older report by The Star revealed that the drainage project along Jalan Bangsar has been held back as there’s a water pipe owned by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) underneath the work site.

DBKL Executive Director for project management Datuk Mohd Najib Mohd noted that the drainage project has been delayed several times due to the Syabas water pipe, which they can’t just remove.

Meanwhile, Syabas did not respond to The Star’s inquiry on this issue.

Nonetheless, Mohd Najib told the project contractor two months ago to clean the work site and temporarily rectify the issue of pooling water in the area.

But during a visit on 24 November, The Star found the worksite in disarray with building materials and construction equipment like tiles, filled cement bags and plastic barriers scattered about.

Worse, some of the cement bags were torn and drenched in rainwater. Consequently, some of the cement have solidified, but a portion seeped into the drains. Large cement culverts were also placed in the area that obstructed pedestrian walkways and blocked the entrance to several shops

Desraj Nallathamby, who manages a clinic in Jalan Bangsar, said the drainage project has been left abandoned since September 2018 and it’s affecting many businesses in the area.

“They keep postponing the completion date, and this is affecting us. People have started dumping rubbish here,” he noted.

In addition, SB Tan, who operates a sports equipment shop, said flooding in the area is still occurring. He also showed an old newspaper with a title “Worst flash floods in 30 years”.

This is after a flood on 11 November impacted several areas in the city including Jalan Loke Yew, Jalan Tun Razak, and Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).

Notably, DBKL’s project to construct a drainage system to prevent further floods commenced on 8 January and it was supposed to be completed by 10 June 2018. The deadline was subsequently pushed back to 8 September, but the latest completion date was further delayed to 5 February 2019.

According to Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil, he is aware of the plight of the affected businesses, and is unhappy over DBKL’s inaction on the issue.

“I am upset that there has been no movement on their part despite highlighting this issue in a town hall session several months ago. DBKL and their project contractors must explain what is happening because they owe the community an explanation.”